Amanda Barrie in Tea For Two: My Review

(This post was originally posted by Graeme N on the Coronation Street Blog in August 2015.)

This blog was originally posted over at Carry On Blogging

Here's a bit of a blog exclusive! As regular readers of Carry On Blogging will know, I have a real soft spot for Amanda Barrie. She is a fantastic actress, equally adept at comedy and drama. I loved her in both the Carry Ons and as Alma in Coronation Street. She has been a star of stage and screen for decades now and thankfully shows no sign of slowing down!

As I blogged earlier, Amanda has recently teamed up with Only Fools and Horses actor John Challis to star in a rather unique short film. The film, Tea For Two, has been written and directed by Mark Brennan and is a joint venture between Pork Chop Pictures and Mini Productions. I was intrigued at the prospect of the film, which tells the tale of a retired couple who run a tea shop in an idyllic English village. As the film progresses, their behaviour becomes increasingly ... interesting! 

After I blogged about Tea For Two, Mark Brennan very kindly tweeted me and offered me the chance to view the film, which as yet, is not available to the general public. It was an honour to watch Tea for Two and I'm extremely grateful to Mark for sharing his fine work with me. 

Now, obviously I can't give too much away about the film itself, but it does contain some brilliant performances. John Challis and Amanda Barrie are both on excellent form and have great chemistry as the lead characters, Jim and Alice. Amanda in particular is an absolute joy, proving once again just what a gifted comedienne she is. We really need to see a lot more of these two on screen! John and Amanda's comic timing, delivery and facial expressions are hilarious and prove they are still at the top of their game. 

I have always thought capturing an interesting and surprising story in the short film format was particularly challenging but Tea For Two manages it well. It is sweet and charming without being sickly. It harks back to the golden age of British comedy but it still puts a quirky spin on the genre and it never fails to surprise! The ending is quite unusual. The film is also really nicely shot. 

There is also terrific support from three young actors - William Postlethwaite, Abigail Parmenter and James Hamer-Morton. 

The world premiere of Tea For Two will be at the Portland Film Festival next month, so keep your eyes peeled for more on this charming little film. 

I really enjoyed watching this and I wish everyone connected with the production every success. It deserves to do very well indeed.

You can view a trailer at the 'Tea For Two' website .

Pork Chop Pictures are on Twitter @PorkChopPics

Mini Productions are on Twitter @Mini_Prods

And you can follow the stars @BeingBoycie and @amandabarrie11

You can follow me on Twitter @GraemeN82 and @CarryOnJoan

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